The Mummy of Naruto Returns
by Shanda Bear
Summary: This is a Naruto Version to The Mummy Returns. Sequel to The Mummy of Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Desert King

**A/N: Well its finally here! The second part to My Mummy of Naruto series. No I do not own The Mummy Returns or Naruto. That pleasure belongs to their respective directors. The characters are as follows:**

**Sasuke: Rick**

**Sakura: Evy**

**Konohamaru: Alex**

**Naruto: Jonathon**

**Gaara: Imhotep**

**Karin: Anck-su-namun**

**Neji: Ardeth Bey**

**Orochimaru: Curator of the British Museum**

**Deidara: Izzy**

**Fugaku: Pharaoh Seti**

**Sasori: The Scorpion King**

**Zabuza: Lock-Nah**

**Ino: Sheila the showgirl**

**The Three Thieves:**

**Jacques Clemens: Kin**

Jacob Spivey: Zaku

"**Red" Willits: Dosu**

_A/N: So in this story The Scorpion King is known as the Desert King since his name is Sasori of the red sand. The deal he made with Anubis involved him drinking a vial of deadly poison instead of eating a scorpion. The Bracelet of Anubis is the Desert Necklace. At the end The Desert King comes back in the form he has when he is fighting Sakura and Lady Chiyo in Shippuden. Sasuke has a tattoo like Rick does in the movie though its changed. Neji explains to him that he is the reincarnation of Prince Sasuke, Fugaku's son. Meanwhile, Sakura keeps having visions of being Sakura, The guardian of the Desert Necklace, and later she discovers that she is the reincarnation of Sakura who was Sasuke's wife. _

**(SPOILER)**

**Anyway, Enjoy the story!**

_Thebes, 3067 B.C._

_Five thousand years ago, a fierce warrior known as Sasori, The Desert King led a great army on a campaign to conquer the known world. He fought battle after battle, ruthlessly tearing down foe after foe, never once removing the legendary Desert Necklace he kept securely fastened to his throat._

_After a vicious campaign which lasted seven long years, The Desert King and his army were defeated and driven deep into the sacred desert of Ahem-Shere. One by one they slowly perished under the scorching sun…until only the great warrior himself was left alive. Near death, Sasori made a pact with the dark God Anubis…that if Anubis would spare his life and let him conquer his enemies, he would give him his soul._

_In answer to his proposition, a black vial rose from the sand…the Desert King was obliged to drink it. With this act done a life-giving oasis sprung up from the desert around him…and his life was saved._

_Anubis gave the Desert King command of his army, and like an evil flood they washed away all that lay before them. When his task was done, Anubis forced the Desert King to serve him for all time…leaving behind only the Desert Necklace…in the world of the living. His army was returned to the sands from whence they came, where they wait silently, to be awakened once again._

Egypt, 1933

It was dark in the tomb…sand…broken stones…the faint squeaking of rats…these were the only things that Sasuke Uchiha, black-eyed, ebony haired adventurer, heard and saw as he pulled out his pistol and pushed away a wall of cobwebs. Still…something wasn't right. Holding a torch out in front of him, the soldier crept forward, keeping his back against the wall, growing closer and closer to the corner until…he leapt out gun at the ready…but the tunnel was clear.

Sasuke slowly holstered his gun and turned around…to meet a pair of large black eyes. He yelled and leapt backwards, causing the owner of the eyes to yelp and fall over. It was a little boy around seven or eight years old with the aforementioned black eyes and hair exactly like the soldiers.

Sasuke panted and muttered, "Konohamaru…?"

The child laughed, "What were you thinking, that a mummy had come back to life?"

"I'll tell you the story someday…" the adventurer helped his son to his feet. The boy looked so much like him and had his slight sence of recklessness…yet he had his mother's kind heart, intellect, and adventurous spirit.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "What are you doing down here? I told you to wait for us in the Temple."

"But Dad, I saw-"

"No buts," the father interrupted. "It's dangerous down here, Konohamaru."

Konohamaru looked as if he were about to burst with excitement, saying, "But I saw your tattoo!"

"…you saw what?"

"On a wall by the entrance," the boy explained, unclasping a bracelet from his father's wrist. "There's a symbol just like it…" the accessory fell away to reveal two kings standing on each side of a pyramid with the Uchiha symbol in the center on the man's arm.

The soldier cocked a questioning eyebrow. "Really…?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, well, I'll be up to take a look at it in a minute. In the meantime, I want you to wait for us up there."

Konohomaru tried to protest as Sasuke turned him around and gave him a gentle push in the opposite direction, saying, "No. Pick up your stuff and I'll see you in the temple. Go."

Konohomaru picked up his bag and started back the way he came.

"And…" he started. 'And…what shall I do…?"

"I don't know, surprise me," Sasuke smirked. "Build a better mouse trap." He added to himself, "While your mother goes and desicrates another tomb."

Meanwhile, Sakura was in another chamber, dusting an ancient Egyptian carving with an archeologist's brush. She looked down as a coral snake slithered up to her. Any other person would have yelled and leapt away…Sakura however, glared at the thing and muttered, "GO AWAY," before kicking it.

The serpent went flying through the air, nearly hitting Sasuke who had just entered the room.

"Those things are poisonous you know!" his face turned more pale than it already was.

The woman teasingly replied, "Only if they bite you." She remembered his earlier meeting with Konohamaru. "What was that all about?"

Picking up the box of tools, the soldier shrugged, "Oh, nothing…Konohamaru wanted to show me something…I swear the kid gets more and more like you everyday," Sakura smirked and approached him brushing aside her pink hair which was now almost down to her waist. "You mean more attractive, sweet, and devilishly charming?"

"No, I mean he's driving me crazy," Sasuke grinned and pressed his lips against those of his wife.

"Now, where were we?"

Not wanting to damage the wall, Sakura held up two tools that looked as if they belonged to a doll. "Hammer and Chisel."

Sasuke took the objects, then stared at the green-eyed beauty with a look that screamed, 'Seriously, this is annoying.'

Sakura sighed and replied, "Fine…we'll do it your way…" she handed him a crow bar.

"Thank you."

The woman cringed as her husband drove the metal pole into the beautiful wall, easily knocking it over. They entered a room filled with many caskets and mummies with scorpions, tarantulas, and a few skulls littering the floor.

Stepping over the creepy crawlies, Sakura explained, "Ever since I had that dream, this place is all I can think about."

Sasuke smirked and stomped right ontop of the creatures. "Ever since you had that dream, I haven't had a decent night sleep."

"I…I feel like I've been here before…"

"Sakura, NOBODY'S been here before, not for at least three thousand years."

As if she were not in control of her own body, the pinkette's arm shot out and grabbed a cobweb cloaked lever on the wall, pulling it and causing a hidden doorway to open. She looked at Sasuke and murmured, "Then how do I seem to know exactly where I'm going?"

Back in the temple, Konohomaru eyed the rats gathered at a hole in the wall, then glanced proudly at his newest mousetrap. He very delicately placed a piece of cheese in it…and froze when unfamiliar voices began to echo throughout the chamber.

Catching sight of the shadows of two men and a woman on the wall, Konohomaru grabbed his bag and climbed up into the safety of his fort, large eyes peeking curiously over the edge of the platform.

The two men and woman, Zaku, Dosu, and Kin, stepped into the chamber, holding guns and torches.

"Knock, knock," Dosu grinned. "Anybody home?" he gestured to his cohorts and ordered, "You two check out that stuff, see if it's there. I'll go sort out the Uchiha's."

Konohomaru gasped.

Sasuke made his way slowly down the corridor, checking every dark corner for traps, seeing none, he stepped into the chamber at the end of the tunnel and began pulling at the strange door he found inside. Sakura stepped in behind him…and gasped as another vision took over her mind.

She was in a beautifully decorated Egyptian Chamber, standing before the same door…yet, it was made of shining gold. It slowly opened, revealing two men guarding a chest in a small room. A woman stepped out and closed the door, pulling out the sun-shaped doorknob. She turned it to the right, then the left…then the vision disintegrated.

Sakura blinked and began to spastically moving her torch back and forth as if she could make the scene reappear. Glimpsing his wife's antics, Sasuke teased, "You know, if you move that fast enough, you can almost write your name."

"I…I just had a vision…" she breathed, "It was-it was like my dream…only real. It was like I actually lived here in ancient times…"

"Well…," Sasuke grunted pushing the door," If you really were here, could you show me how to open this thing?"

The woman stepped forward and gave him the torch. She grasped the queerly shaped handle, turning it twice to the right, then once to the left before pushing it in. The door opened just as it had three thousand years ago.

"Okay…" the soldier's eyes widened. "Now you're starting to scare me."

"Now I'm starting to scare myself."

Digging through various trinkets and pottery shards, Zaku grumbled,

"Look at the state of this stuff…those Egyptians never had a clue, It's all junk! Look at that…cheap pottery…ancient rubbish!"

High on the platform, Konohomaru pulled back the strap of his slingshot, aimed, and fired.

The grey haired man yowled while the black haired one pulled her pistol.

"Kin!" Zaku whined. "Something hit me in the head!"

"Shut up for once Zaku!" Kin snapped. "This place is cursed. We do not want to wake the Gods…"

Sakura carefully brushed the cobwebs off a large gold plate, revealing a design of red sand.

"That's the emblem of the Desert King!" She gasped. "He's supposed to be pure myth. No trace of him has ever been found before…no artifacts, no archival evidence."

"Maybe they didn't want anybody to find him…" Sasuke murmured thoughtfully.

The pinkette ran her delicate fingers along a trunk in the room. "Let's open this."

"Sakura…" her husband sighed. "I don't have a real good feeling about this…"

"It's only a chest. No harm ever came from opening a chest."

The soldier rolled his eyes at this. "Yeah, right, and no harm ever came from reading a book. Remember how that turned out?"

Sakura laughed and replied, "We can't stop now."

"Just remember I was the voice of reason here."

"For once."

Konohomaru took aim, and fired another stone from his slingshot. This one hit it's target…right in the rear end.

"AAARG!" Zaku howled in agony. "GOD THAT HURT!"

Konohomaru lay on his back, placing his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughs.

Kin, on the other hand…was becoming suspicious.

Dosu peered around the corner of a wall, watching as Sakura struggled to open the chest with a crow bar.

Her husband noticed a small object on a chain near the trunk and smirked when he realized what it was.

"Hun," Sasuke grinned, holding out the key. "Why don't we do it your way?"

Sakura grimaced and took the key, placing it in the keyhole. She turned it once…and the chest popped open. Slowly, the woman raised the lid…and glimpsed a beautiful golden necklace with a red gem in the center that looked like sand was mixed in it.

"The Desert Necklace…" she breathed.

Konohomaru fired off another missile…only to have it caught by one of the men. He gasped in horror as the two stared at him with expressions of "Gotcha."

Dosu cocked his gun and was about to shoot the two Uchiha's…when the entire chamber shook violently.

"Oh my God!" Sakura yelped, placing the necklace back in the chest.

"It's a bit late for that!" Sasuke cried.

The pinkette handed it to him. "Put it in your rucksack."

"I got a better idea. Let's leave it here!"

"I think it's a bit late for that!"

"What's it say?"

Sakura read the hieroglyphics. "'He who disturbs this necklace shall drink from the Nile'…huh…that doesn't sound too bad…"

Suddenly, the entire back wall was torn down by a torrent of rushing water. Placing the chest in his bag, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand and they both took off.

Konohomaru scrambled around the platform as Kin climbed up, a deadly looking knife between her teeth.

"Kin's gonna make a nice fillet out of you, kid," Zaku grinned.

"Zaku! Kin!" Dosu came running into the temple. "We gotta get out of here!"

Kin slid down the ladder and kicked the stone supporting the entire fort before joining her comrades.

Sasuke and Sakura ran as fast as they could…only to find their way blocked by a wall. They turned back to look at the ever approaching flood and hugged each other just as it hit.

Konohomaru yelped as the wooden structure swayed back and forth, threatening to drop him to the ground. Finally, the entire thing fell into a pillar, which the boy also landed on. He screamed as the pillar slammed into the next and the next after that, creating a domino effect.

When all the pillars had toppled over, the child looked around with hair more spiked then usual and muttered, "Whoa…"

Meanwhile, his parents gagged and coughed, clinging to a metal grating above then to keep their head out of the water.

"This is bad, Sakura!" Sasuke choked.

She gulped water. "Ugh…we've had bad before!"

"This is worse!"

One of the pillars began to slowly slide over, threatening to crash into the wall in front of it. Panicked, Konohomaru ran over and pushed against it, hoping that the little strength he had would keep the object in place. Obviously, it did not, and the boy was forced to leap out of the way or be crushed as the pillar fell. It destroyed the wall, unleashing a flood of water…and Konohomaru's half-drowned parents.

Konohomaru stared at his coughing, sputtering mom and dad, then gazed at the desecrated temple around them before announcing, "Mom, Dad, I can explain EVERYTHING."

Unfortunately, In another part of the desert, a sinister group had discovered Hamunaptra, and had enlisted man unwilling workers to uncover it's secrets.

Holding a black book in his hands, a muscled black haired man who had half his face covered known as Zabuza murmured, "The Book of the Dead…gives life."

"And the Book f the Living…" completed a woman named Karin."…takes life away." She set the golden book of Amun-Ra down.

"I thought that was MY job," teased the muscle-bound man.

Karin, who looked remarkably like the ancient incarnation, smiled and announced, "we're getting close."

Watching over the diggers, a dark haired curator, Orochimaru, jumped in alarm when a car horn sounded. He turned to see three treasure hunters he'd hired leaping out of the vehicle and walking towards him.

"Did you find it?"

Before they could answer, the entire site shook and everyone's attention turned to the spit the diggers had just uncovered. A collective gasp sounded when the sand rose up into a mound…which was quickly replaced by screams when it exploded with scarabs.

Karin laughed cruelly, completely unfeeling to the agonized screams of men being eaten alive. "We're getting VERY close…"

It wasn't long before the joyous cry rang throughout the dig site.

"We found him! We found him!"

Orochimaru excitedly pushed through the throngs of people…and gasped as the oddly shaped mass was lowered to the ground.

"Gaara…It's him! It's Gaara!"

Karin ran her hand gently over their prize as Zabuza lifted a large urn, saying, "Now we must raise those who serve him."

Before they could do so, an irritated voice exclaimed, "Get out of my way…Get out-outta my way or I'm gonna shoot you in the face!"

Dosu emerged from the crowd, followed by his cohorts.

Orochimaru held out his hand. "Give it to me."

Shrugging, Dosu replied. "The opportunity passed us by."

The curator's jaw tensed in frustration. "We need that necklace!"

Zabuza pulled out his sword and the two men and woman responded by pointing their guns.

"Enough!" Karin hissed and the men obediently put their weapons away. "My dear Orochimaru, I told you I should have handled it."

The dark haired man shook his head. "I didn't want your past history to cloud the issue."

Dosu cut in, "Don't worry. We know where it is. We will take care of it."

"No. I have a different chore for you now."

"Where is the necklace?" Karin asked impatiently.

"It's on its way to London."

Orochimaru nodded. "Then London is where we must go."

Hidden among the other cloaked men, Neji, leader of the Majai, gasped…for he knew that the Uchiha family was in danger…again.

**A/N: Well, that was Chapter 1. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Kidnapped

A/N: Well this is Chapter 2! I would like to thank everyone who has given reviews to my stories. It means a lot to me. I would also like to thank Lady Yori who helped me figure out my characters for this story. Well enough of my chitchat here is Chapter 2!

It was nighttime when the Uchiha's finally arrived back at their elegant mansion in England. Years ago, they had moved to London so that Sakura could be closer to the Bembridge Scholars and bought their home using the treasure Kabuto had inadvertently bestowed upon them.

Carrying her luggage through the entryway, Sakura ventured to say, "I think the Desert Necklace may be some sort of guide to the oasis of Ahm-Shere."

Sasuke sighed gently. "Sakura…I know what your thinking…and the answer is no. We JUST got home."

The woman grinned and replied, "That's the beauty of it! We're already packed!"

"Why don't you just give me one good reason…"

"It's just an oasis…darling…" Sakura murmured, seductively easing her husband's black coat off his toned shoulders. 'A beautiful…exciting…romantic oasis."

"Mmmm…" Sasuke snaked his arms around her waist, huskily whispering, "…an oasis with a white, sandy beach and the palm trees and the cool, clear water and…we could get some of those big drinks with the little umbrellas…sounds good."

"Sounds good…" Sakura smiled, her lips inches away from his.

The soldier grabbed her shoulders and stared knowingly into her jade green eyes, saying, "What's the catch?"

"Supposedly, it's the resting place of Anubis's Army."

"See?" Sasuke groaned, following his wife up the staircase. "I knew there was a catch. There's ALWAYS a catch…and let me guess, it was commanded by that Desert King guy?"

"Yes, but he only awakens once every five thousand years."

"Right…and if someone doesn't kill him, he's gonna wipe out the world."

"How did you know?" Sakura inquired.

The ebony haired man rolled his eyes. "I didn't, but that's always the story."

The pinkette continued, "The last known expedition to actually reach Ahm-Shere was sent by Ramses the Forth over three thousand years ago. He sent over one thousand men-'

"And none of them was ever seen again."

"How did you know?"

'I didn't. But that's ALWAYS the story."

Sakura tapped her chin. "Did I mention there was a pyramid of gold?"

Her husband nodded. "Twice."

"Alexander the Great sent troops to look for it."

"Hooray for him."

"So did Ceasar."

"Yeah, and look what happened to his career…"

"And Napoleon."

Sasuke shrugged, saying, "We're smarter than him. And taller."

"Exactly," Sakura shrugged off her coat and climbed onto a bookshelf ladder to search through her bookcase. "That's why we're gonna find it."

The soldier raised a perplexed eyebrow. "Because we're taller?"

The pinkette leaped off the ladder, landing bridal-style in his waiting arms. "That's why I love you."

Sasuke grinned and set her down "Nice try."

As they were getting unpacked, Konohomaru called from downstairs, "Mom! What do I do with this chest?" he struggled beneath the box which was almost as big as he was. "This sucker weighs a God forsaken ton!"

"Konohomaru, watch your language!" Sakura scolded from the upstairs platform.

"This is kinda heavy," the boy corrected, setting it down on a chess board…and gasping when it made a strange clicking sound.

"Sakura…" Sasuke began, his black eyes filled with concern. "that first weird dream of yours was exactly six weeks ago, right?"

The woman nodded. 'I think so…but what's that got to do with anything?"

The soldier began flipping through a book, showing her a picture. "It just so happens to coincide with the Egyptian New Year."

"Oh…;" Sakura murmured and smiled up at him. "What a coincidence."

Her husband rolled his eyes. "Maybe…all I'm saying is, let's be cautious."

Konohomaru placed the circular key in the lock, popping open the chest. His onyx eyes widened as he beheld the glittering beauty of the golden necklace, the red gem staring back at him. **(A/N: Konohomaru's curiosity got the best of him)**

Sasuke's gaze grew sad. "If anything ever happened to you…I would never forgive myself."

Konohomaru took the necklace out of the box, fastening it around his neck. He yelped when it clamped in place and began shooting a projection of visions onto the wall in front of him…images of deserts, pyramids, and even jungles until it finally halted at a temple…then disappeared.

"You and Konohomaru…are all that matter to me," the soldier murmured.

Sakura smiled up at him with deep affection. "well…the Bembridge Scholars have been begging me to run the British Museum…"

Konohomaru gasped and tugged futiley at the clasp. "Aw, crud! How do you get this thing off?"

The black eyed man smiled slyly. "Have I kissed you today?"

Sakura shook her head.

Sasuke leaned forward and captured her lips in his own, starting gently at first, then growing quite heated as the pinkette wound her arms around his neck.

Breaking away for air, the woman stared at her husband through half-lidded eyes and teasingly whispered, "I…hate it when you do that…"

"Why?" the soldier asked, his mouth moving provokingly against hers.

"…makes me feel like agreeing to anything…"

"Anything…?"

"Mmm-hmm…"

Sasuke grinned and wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist, dipping her down and planting kisses along her jaw. Sakura giggled…then stopped when she noticed something peculiar hanging from the book shelf.

"That bra is not mine…" she murmured.

Sasuke growled and muttered one single name with so much meaning.

"Dobe…"

Setting off to deal with his brother in law, Sasuke called, "Hey, Konohomaru, behave yourself for five minutes, all right?"

"You betcha!" his son replied, hastily pulling his collar up to conceal the necklace.

He stuffed a statue into the chest to replicate the artifact's weight and slammed it shut right as his mother entered the room.

"Happy to be home?" she smiled.

Konohomaru gave a wide, innocent grin, "Couldn't be happier."

The pinkette showed him a book she'd been reading, saying, "It's the year of the spider." **(A/N: I know this isn't a real year. I chose this because Sasori doesn't really have an animal characteristic but has a deadly poison like most spiders.)**

"Neat!"

"I thought you might like that."

In another wing of the house, Naruto was strolling happily out of a bedroom with his arm around the waist of a blonde girl wearing a glittery, slightly revealing gown. As usual, he was, shall we say…twisting the truth?

"…So I then killed the mummy and all his minions and stole his scepter."

"Oh, you're so brave…" she leaned into him.

"And rich…did I mention rich?"

"What do you think I'm doing here?"

Suddenly, a group of red-robed men walked purposefully toward them, looking non-too-happy.

"Uh, sorry," Naruto chuckled nervously, "We must be in the wrong house."

Looking at the sinister men, his date muttered, "I thought you said this was YOUR house."

"No I didn't"

The intruders seized them both, dragging the woman out. "Call me!" she shouted as the door slammed shut.

Naruto looked at the leader of the men and asked, "You're not…Ino's husband, are you?" **(A/N: Sorry thought Ino would be best…Thanks Lady Yori!) **

The man…Orochimaru…shook his head "No."

"Look, If you work for Choji, I was gonna pay him back on Tuesday…"

"I don't know any 'Choji,'" Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "We are looking for the Desert Necklace."

"Oh…" the blonde breathed a sigh of relief. "Good for you. Good thing to have, the old Desert Necklace."

"Where is it?"

"Ah…well you see…I have absolutely NO CLUE what you're talking about."

The black haired man growled, "Mr. Uchiha, you try my patience."

"Mr. Uchiha?" Naruto raised his eyebrows. "No, hold on a minute. You've got the wrong guy-"

One of the men grabbed a handful of his hair and held a dagger to his throat.

"Aaah! That necklace…NOW I remember. I kinda…lost it in a shoji game. **(A/N: I figured shoji would work better since its Naruto.)**

"For your sake, I hope not," Orochimaru replied. He gasped when he saw the scepter of Gaara in his hand, grabbing it, and murmuring, "It…can't be…"

"Hello," Karin walked into the room, carrying a wicker basket.

"Hello," Naruto chuckled uncomfortably.

The red haired woman raised a finely manicured eyebrow. "Where's your wife?"

"My wife?" Naruto blinked before remembering he was supposed to be Sasuke. "Oh, you mean Sakura. I think she went off to Baden-Baden or Tibet or something. The girl's got a free spirit…" noticing how sinisterly gorgeous the woman was, the blonde man did his best to look attractive while having a knife held to his throat and announced, "Did I mention I'm single now?"

Karin pulled a black snake from her basket, holding it as it it were a pet and saying,

"Egyptian asps are quite poisonous."

This was quite enough incentive for Naruto to start talking. "It's downstairs. There's a safe. The combination is uh, 3-20-58…"

Karin stepped forward, holding the snake closer.

"It's in the safe! I told you!"

"And your point is…?"

Naruto squirmed futiley. "My point is, I told you so you wouldn't kill me!"

"When did we make THAT arrangement?" the woman grinned cruelly.

Just as she was about to let the creature sink it's lethal fangs into the man's neck, another person entered the room.

"Uh…hello," Sasuke arched an ebony eyebrow in confusion at his brother in law's present predicament. "Dobe…I thought I said no more wild parties."

Naruto shrugged. "well, when your popular…"

Oblivious to what was going on upstairs, Sakura was digging frantically through her son's pockets saying, "Konohomaru, I'm serious. If you've lost that key, you're grounded.'

"I haven't LOST it. I just can't FIND it," Konohomaru replied. "There's a difference."

"Well, you better start FINDING it then."

"I will Mom, there's nothing to worry about."

"Good Evening."

The two turned to see a large, red-robed man, smiling at them darkly.

"Who are you?" Sakura positioned herself protectively in front of her son. "What are you doing here?"

Zabuza raised a ebony eyebrow. "I'm looking for the chest, of course. Give it to me now."

Konohomaru grabbed the aforementioned object and held it protectively against his chest. His mother, meanwhile, grabbed a sword from a nearby wall and hissed, "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE."

The little boy's eyes widened. "Whoa, Mom. Maybe not the BEST idea…"

"Konohomaru, get back there."

Two other men entered the room, outnumbering the pinkette three to one.

"DEFINITELY not the best idea," Konohomaru whimpered. "I think it's time to yell for Dad now."

Glaring fiercely, Zabuza stalked towards the woman, growling, "Now I will kill you and take it anyway."

"I think not."

An Egyptian man in a white robe appeared on the scene.

"Neji," Sakura gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Perhaps explanations are best kept for later."

Zabuza smirked. "Neji, leader of the Majai."

"Zabuza," Neji returned.

Upstairs, Sasuke was still convinced that the intrusion had something to do with Naruto's illegitimate activities,

"Look, I'm sure my dobe of a brother in law deserves whatever you're about to do to him, but this is my house and I have certain rules about snakes and dismemberment."

Karin hauled back and hurled the snake at him…but Sasuke caught it, holding it's head to keep it from biting.

"Shoot him!"

The soldier threw the snake at the gunman, then caught and threw back a deadly knife, expertly hitting both targets.

Downstairs, an epic sword fight had broken out. Konohomaru hid in a corner with the chest while his mother and Neji fiercely battled, cutting down foe after foe.

Watching his mother expertly handle the sword, Konohomaru exclaimed, "Whoa, Mom! Where did you learn to do that?"

"I have no idea," Sakura panted. One of the men grabbed her throat and forced her against the wall. The pinkette forced his head down, kneed him in the forehead, then punched him in the jaw. "THAT I learned from your father."

Sasuke leaped out of the way as a man with a machine gun entered the room. Following his example, Naruto grabbed Gaara's scepter and joined his brother in law behind the bathroom door.

Neji swung his scabbard, skillfully taking on three attackers at once.

"Not bad for a Majai." Zabuza smirked.

One of the men grabbed the chest and Konohomaru seized it's handle, shouting, "Let Go!"

The boy was thrown halfway across the room, silently cursing his small size.

"What's in the chest?" Neji asked.

"The Desert Necklace," Sakura answered.

The Majai leader cringed as Zabuza entered the battle-for he was far more skilled then his lackeys.

"They must not get the necklace! Get it and get out of here!"

Konohomaru grunted with effort, but managed to push a bookshelf on top of one of the villains. He gasped when he saw a man approaching Sakura from behind.

"Mom!"

The man knocked the pinkette out, throwing her over his shoulder and racing from the room.

"Mom, no!" Konohomaru cried.

Distracted by Sakura, Neji yelped as Zabuza'a blade sliced through his shoulder, knocking him against a wall. He barely got out of the way in time before a throwing knife stuck in the wall where his head had just been.

"Naruto!" Sasuke frantically pushed the bathroom wardrobe screen out of the way, searching for the blonde, "dobe, where are you?"

His brother in law emerged from the bubble bath, fully clothed and coated with foam.

Rolling his eyes, the soldier grabbed him out of the tube and growled, "what did you do THIS time?"

"I-I haven't done anything to anybody!" Naruto cried as a barrage of bullets shot through the walls. "…lately."

"C'mon!"

The two men leaped through the stain-glass window, yelling as they bounced off the awning and landed on the ground. They took off, dodging gun fire from the window and running around to the front of the house.

The soldier stared at a silver car tearing off down the road…and his heart froze at what he saw.

His wife looked fearfully through the rear window of the vehicle, shouting his name before a chloroform-soaked cloth was clamped over her mouth.

"SAKURA!" Sasuke screamed and tried to run after the car.

"Look out, Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed him out of the way before a barrage of bullets hit…and the cars disappeared.

"Dad! Dad!"

Sasuke turned around and picked up little Konohomaru in his arms, embracing him tightly as if he thought he would never see him again, "Are you alright?" the father ruffled his little boy's hair and Konohomaru nodded.

"Uchiha," Neji greeted cordially.

The soldier stared at him blankly for a moment…then grabbed him, furiously slamming him against a statue.

"What in God's name are you doing here, Neji?" he snarled. "No, scratch that-I don't care. Who are those guys? Where are they taking my wife?"

"My friend," the Majai leader grasped his shoulders. "I'm not sure." He pulled a photo from his pocket. "But wherever this man is, your wife will surely be."

Konohomaru gasped and snatched the picture. "Hey, I know him! He's Orochimaru. He works at the British Museum."

"Are you sure?"

"You better believe him. He spends more time there then he does at home." Sasuke replied, putting an arm around his son and leading them to the car.

"Okay…" the adventurer began as they approached the vehicle. "You're here, the bad guys are here…let me guess…"

"The creature has once again been dug from his grave," Neji confirmed.

Naruto scowled. "I don't mean to point fingers, but isn't it your job to make sure that DOESN'T happen?"

"The woman who was with him…she knows things that no living person could possible know. She knew EXACTLY where the creature was buried. And now they have it."

Konohomaru grinned. "I wouldn't get too nervous just yet…" He rolled down his shirt collar, revealing the Desert Necklace.

"Is that gold and a ruby?" Naruto drooled.

Konohomaru continued, "When I put it on I saw the pyramids of Giza. Then, Whoosh! Straight across the desert to Karnak."

With a grave face, the Majai leader muttered, "By putting this on you have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse!"

Konohomaru gasped in horror.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke pointed at Neji, "You. Lighten up." To Konohomaru, "You. Big trouble." And finally to Naruto, "You. Get in the car."

The time for talk was done. They had to rescue Sakura.

**A/N: Well that was a long chapter. Man, I have never written something so long in my whole life. Well tell me what you think?**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: He's Back

**A/N: Well here is Chapter 3. I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 2. This is the second longest story I have ever written. Enjoy!**

On their way to the British Museum, Neji looked solemnly at Sasuke and murmured, "I am sorry if I alarmed your son, but you must understand now that the necklace is latched to his neck we only have seven days before the Desert King awakens."

Sasuke shot him a look. "We? What we?"

"If he is not killed, he will raise the Army of Anubis."

Naruto leaned forward from the backseat, saying, "I take it that's not a good thing…"

Sasuke smirked. "Oh, he'll wipe out the world."

"Ah…" the blonde thought for a moment. "The old 'wipe out the world' ploy…"

"Whoever can kill the Desert King," the Majai leader continued, "can send his Army back to the underworld…or use it to destroy mankind and rule the earth."

"That's why they dug up Gaara…" the soldier murmured. "He's the only one tough enough to take out the Desert King."

"That is their plan."

By the time they reached the elegant, while-pillared building, it was pitch black and lashing rain. Turning off the ignition, Sasuke glanced back at his son and announced,

"Konohomaru, I've got a BIG job for you. Stay here and protect the car."

"I can do that!" Naruto pleaded.

Konohomaru rolled his eyes. "Protect the car? Just because im a kid doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"I know…" Sasuke reached out and affectionately ruffled the boys hair.

"Dad!"

Naruto sighed, saying, "If you see anyone come out screaming, it's just me."

Smirking, the soldier looked to his brother in law and said, "Maybe you should stay here and watch him."

"Oh, now your talking."

Opening the trunk of the car, Sasuke rolled out his weapon satchel, looking over his vast assortment of guns. He looked at Neji and asked,

"You want the shot gun?"

"No, I prefer the Thompson."

**(A/N: I changed this up)** While they were prepping their weapons, the Majai leader gasped when he saw the tattoo on his companions arm. He thought for a moment before saying,

"Have you ever heard the saying 'Let this Thunder-'"

"Herald your end," Sasuke completed , staring at Neji, as if he'd never seen him before, "where did you hear that? I came up with that a long time ago and never told anyone…how-"

"Then it is true," Neji grabbed the man's wrist, pointing at his tattoo. "you have the Mark of the King,"

"What, that?" Sasuke chuckled. "I got that slapped on me at an orphanage in Cairo."

"That mark means that you are a descendant of the great kings of Egypt- a Pharaoh."

"Sorry, you got the wrong guy."

"That saying you supposedly 'came up with'…" Neji pressed further. "Was a saying written by Prince Sasuke, one of the Greatest Princes of Egypt. He bore that same mark you have blazoned on your arm. You call this 'having the wrong guy'?"

"I call that coincidence," the soldier replied, cocking a grin.

Inside the British Museum, the men were in the process of awakening the creature. They chanted and bowed while Orochimaru read from the Book of the Dead. Two men brought the still unconscious Sakura in, tied to a wooden board. When they set her down, the tough impact awoke her from her daze, and she looked around confusedly.

"Mr. Orochimaru…?" she murmured upon seeing the curator. Glimpsing the tell-tale corpse, the pinkette's heart nearly stopped. "…they found him…"

With nothing but flashes of lightening to illuminate their way, Sasuke and Neji crept soundlessly through the Museum. They could hear the faint sounds of chanting…but had not seen anyone thus far. Unfortunately, their seclusion was broken when mummies in the exhitbits began shrieking and wandering about.

Suddenly, the opaque substance encasing Gaara's body shattered, and the mummy himself burst from it's confines, looking around at his worshippers suspiciously.

"Gaara…" Sakura breathed.

"_What year is it?"_ the high priest demanded in Egyptian.

"_My Lord,"_ Orochimaru answered in the same language. _"It is the year of the Spider."_

"_Truly?"_

"_Yes!"_

Gaara let out a sinister laugh…then gasped as the door opened. Karin stepped in, dressed in a glittery ebony gown. Sakura gasped as well when a vision of the woman dressed in Egyptian clothing flashed through her mind.

"Do not be frightened," Orochimaru said as she halted before the thoughtfully, growling mummy.

"I am not afraid," Karin replied. _"I am Karin reincarnated."_

"_Only in body,"_ Gaara reached out and ran his grizzly fingers through her soft hair. _"But soon…I shall bring your soul back from the underworld…our love shall once again be whole."_

Watching the scene play out from a balcony, Sasuke sighed.

"You know…a couple years ago, this would have seemed REALLY strange to me."

Since they did not have the key, Zabuza took a syringe filled with acid and squirted it along the inside locking mechanism of the chest.

"Lord Gaara will be much pleased." Orochimaru smiled.

They opened the box…and to their dismay, pulled out a statue.

The curator's eyes bugged. "Where is it? Where is the necklace?"

Hatred boiled up in Zabuza's black heart as he remembered the Uchiha's little boy guarding the chest during the siege.

"I think I know…"

Back in the car, Konohomaru was telling his uncle of the legendary pyramid of gold.

"At the very top of the gold pyramid, there was a huge diamond." He explained.

Naruto was practically salivating as he murmured, "H-how huge…?"

"It was so big, it would reflect the sun and wink at distant travelers…beckoning them to their deaths."

Karin smiled at the gruesome priest.

"_I have a gift for you."_

"_Her!"_ Gaara's eyes narrowed when he saw Sakura strapped to the board.

He grinned however, as Karin announced, _"I knew it would please you to watch her die."_

The pinkette yelped and struggled as several men lifted her and the board up carrying her over…to a pit of fire.

"Oh my God…"

"_The underworld awaits you,_" the high priest sneered.

"You wait!" Sakura snarled. "I'll put you in your grave again!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Our thinking was, not if we put you in your grave first."

"_Burn her!"_

"You bast-" the woman screamed as they tipped the board over…right as Sasuke caught her and leaped away from the infernal pit.

"Sasuke!"

The soldier threw his wife over his shoulder and took off as Neji rained gunfire at the enemies.

The two men who had momentarily stepped outside the car gasped when they heard the shots and Konohomaru exclaimed, "Open it! Open it!"

"I'm trying!" Naruto frantically struggled to put the key in the car lock.

Orochimaru ran clumsily to avoid the bullets while Zabuza tossed a gun to his boss. Karin caught it and began to fire back at Neji, who barely had time to duck out of the way. Sasuke meanwhile, freed Sakura of her binds and gave a grin that screamed, 'payback time, baby!'

"Hurry up!" Konohomaru squeaked while Naruto attempted to start the car.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," all the color drained from the blondes face when the key snapped in two.

"You broke it!" his nephew cried. "You broke it! You broke it!"

"Be quiet, Konohomaru!" Naruto whimpered. "If there is gonna be any hysterics they'll come from me!"

Gaara watched as the shoot out continued…and gasped when he saw an old foe.

"_You!"_

Sasuke responded with a barrage of bullets, leaping behind a box when his attack was reciprocated. He handed his wife a hand gun, gave a slight nod, then they both leaped out and began shooting while retreating backwards.

Watching his most hated enemies escape, Gaara unceremoniously shoved two men aside and grabbed an urn, saying, _"Collect your bones! Gather your limbs! Shake the earth from your flesh! Your master is here!"_

Sand shot out from the jar, swirling around until it formed into the spear wielding mummies Naruto had accidentally resurrected during the last confrontation.

"Oh no, not these guys again!" Sasuke moaned.

"_DESTROY THEM!"_

Hearing the roar all the way outside, Naruto yelped.

"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?"

"You're asking me?" Konohomaru cried. "I'm only eight years old for christ's sake!"

As they ran out of the Museum and towards their vehicle, Sakura stopped suddenly, running back and pulling a bench in front of the doors.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Sasuke grabbed her hand and took off. "These guys don't use doors."

Seeing that the car was empty, the soldier demanded. "Where in the world is that dobe?"

In answer, a red double-decker bus pulled up to them, driven by the blonde himself.

"What's wrong with my car?" Sasuke growled.

Paling, his brother in law replied, "I was forced to find an alternate means of transportation."

"A DOUBLE-DECKER BUS!"

Naruto pointed at his nephew. "It was HIS idea!"

"Was not!" Konohomaru shouted.

"Was too!"

"WAS NOT!"

"It was too!"

"JUST GO!" Sasuke snapped. "Oh jeez…"

The bus pulled away right as the mummies burst through the brick wall, landing…on the soldier's prized possession.

"No, no! Not my car!" Sasuke moaned. "Oh, I hate mummies…"

Neji cocked an eyebrow. "Glad to see me now?"

"Just like old times, huh?" the soldier clambered up to the vehicle's top floor and began sniping at the undead creatures.

Unfortunately, this technique did not prove effective for long as the mummies began climbing along the walls of the buildings like monkeys.

"Right…" the ebony haired adventurer muttered, shooting at one before it leaped at him.

Soon, the creatures made themselves known on the roof, denting the ceiling of the bus. Sasuke shot through the metal, desperately trying to keep them from getting inside.

Unfortunately, one of the mummies had already succeeded in doing so downstairs, and Neji was having quite a time keeping it away from Sakura and Konohomaru.

Finally, the foe Sasuke was fighting off broke through the metal, knocking the shotgun from his hands. He tried to grab it, but the cursed creature grabbed him by the belt and dragged him backwards. It then lifted the soldier into the air and began repeatedly slamming him against the ceiling.

Downstairs, the mummy raised it's hand and deadly claws sprouted from it's grizzly fingers. Neji leaped in front of the woman and child, causing the creature to slice through his arm instead of them.

"Turn, turn, turn!" Sakura cried to her brother.

The bus veered to the right, knocking mummies and men against the left windows. When this occurred, Sasuke finally broke free of his attacker and grabbed his gun…only to drop it between the cracks to the bottom level.

Neji yelped as the creature's claws slashed his shoulder, pressing against the window while it raised it's hand to finish him. Catching sight of her husband's dropped gun, Sakura shot at the creature, blowing it to bits before it could kill her friend.

The ebony haired adventurer grimaced when he realized the only way to get away from his attacker. Reluctantly, he raised two fingers and gauged them into the mummy's rotting eye sockets, retching as he pulled away.

Sasuke glanced out the window and muttered "uh oh…" before throwing himself onto the ground and covering his head with his hands. The bus reached a low roof tunnel…and the entire top roof was scraped, leaving glass, twisted metal, and a squished mummy stuck to the wall.

Groaning and pushing bus seats off his back, Sasuke stood up as they rode onto a bridge and pulled over finally escaping the dreaded creatures.

Konohomaru put his arms around the neck of his uncle, who seemed in a state of shock,

"Good driving, Uncle Naruto."

"Yeah…" Naruto said.

Panting, Sasuke looked at the Majai leader and asked, "You all right?"

Neji looked at him, a slightly shell-shocked expression on his face, and replied, "This was…my first bus ride."

The soldier gazed at his wife, who beckoned him over, saying, "What would I do without you?"

"Are ALL librarians this much trouble?" Sasuke placed his hands on Sakura's hips, pulling her towards him and crushing his lips to hers.

"Oh jeez…" Konohomaru gagged. "Get a room." He walked to the front window of the bus, muttering to himself…until he was grabbed and dragged away.

"Let me go!"

"KONOHOMARU!" Sasuke took off on foot after the car that was driving away with his son while one of Gaara's men pulled the lever to the bridge.

The desperate father ran with all his strength as the bridge rose higher and higher. When he reached the end, he leaped across, barley grabbing onto the other side.

"…Konohomaru…" Sasuke croaked, tears springing to his eyes as he watched the car that had taken his child…disappear inot the night.

Standing with Karin and the other's on a balcony, Gaara announced, _"I shall now go to Ahm-Shere and kill the Desert King."_

The red haired woman replied, _"And then with his Army we shall rule the world…together."_

"_My Lord,"_ Orochimaru interrupted, _"There is something you must know. They have the Scepter. I have seen it."_

The high priest scowled and replied, _"By the time we reach Ahm-Shere, my powers will have regenerated and I will have no need of the Scepter."_

He turned around and faced Karin, reaching out and touching her hand. She gasped when she found herself in a vision of Egypt, dressed in full Egyptian clothing…and gazing at the fully regenerated Gaara. He was handsome…with milky white skin, red hair, pale blue-green eyes and a tattoo on his forehead. Smiling, he leaned down, and captured her lips with his, smiling inwardly as he felt her respond…though everyone else was quite disgusted watching Karin make out with a mummy.

Sasuke held Sakura against his chest, resting his chin on her hair while rocking her back and forth, brushing her tears away. He hated himself…how could he let those men take their little boy away? He was the father…it was HIS job to protect his family at all costs. Fighting back tears of his own, Sasuke planted a gentle kiss on his wife's forehead.

Tentatively approaching the mourning parents, Neji murmured, "Please…do not fear for your son, my friends. They cannot hurt him, for he wears the Desert Necklace."

Sakura gasped and looked up at her husband. "Konohomaru is wearing the necklace?"

"When he put it on…" the soldier began, "…he saw the pyramids of Giza and the temple at Karnak."

The Majai leader nodded, "And when they reach Karnak, the necklace will show him the next step of the journey."

The pinkette paled. "Well…if we don't get to Karnak, before them, we wont have any idea where to look for him next."

Sasuke's mouth twisted upward slightly as a brilliant idea sprang into his mind.

"Seems to me like…we need a magic carpet."

It was time to visit an old friend.

**A/N: Well that was Chapter 3! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Meet Deidara

**A/N: Well here is chapter 4. I hope everyone likes the story so far.**

Looking out the window of a train, Orochimaru muttered, "When Lord Gaara last encountered the Uchiha's they sent his immortal soul to the underworld." He walked over to Karin, saying, "As powerful as he will become, he is still vulnerable. Only with the Army of Anubis will he be invincible. He will need your help."

Handing the Book of the Dead to the woman, Orochimaru spoke softly, "Keep this with you always."

"Hey! Let me go!" Zabuza walked in, carrying a very irritated Konohomaru under his arm. "The Book of the Dead!" the boy's eyes widened.

"What a bright little child," Karin knelt down and stroked his unruly hair with false affection. "Your mother must be missing you terribly. If you wish to see her again, you'd better behave."

Konohomaru rolled his eyes. "Lady, I don't behave for my PARENTS. What makes you think I'm gonna do it for YOU?"

"Silence!" Zabuza hissed.

Karin, however, remained icy calm, cupping his chin in her hand as she murmured, "because your parents wouldn't slip poisonous snakes into your bed while you were sleeping."

The child's eyes grew wide and the red-haired woman kissed his cheek. He never liked that from his mother because it was embarrassing…with THIS woman however, it was like poison.

Breaking the creepy silence, the curator announced, "Lord Gaara wished to meet the boy."

Shoving Konohomaru down the car, Zabuza growled, "Now we shall see how brave you are."

Once those two were gone, another group of voices sounded from the other end of the car.

"Ow, my fingers!"

"Nice.."

Dosu, Zaku and Kin stepped into the car.

"Did you acquire what we asked?" Orochimaru asked.

Dosu grinned. "Oh we 'acquired' it alright. You know what? We had to kill two of those guards at the mausoleum to acquire it."

"This chest is cursed!" Kin snapped, tearing the cloth off the chest that held the canopic jars. "It says, 'There is one, the undead who will kill all who open this chest'."

"Yes, yes, and the creature will suck them dry, then regenerate. We've all heard the story."

"Yeah," Dosu nodded, a knowing gleam in his eye. "Bit I heard the guys who found it nine years ago all died. Horrible deaths they were. So, that in mind-"

"We want ten." Zaku interrupted.

Kin's face was a mask of graveness as she spoke in Arabic, "_This chest must never be opened._"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "The agreement was for five."

"Yeah, well we want ten," Dosu replied simply. "Or we'll take it elsewhere."

"If you-"

"Ten will be fine," Karin held the curator back. "Follow me."

"Get in," Zabuza roughly shoved Konohomaru into a dark, candle-lit room. The boy gasped as an ebony-cloaked man weaving a mask walked towards him, speaking in Arabic.

"_I know you can understand me, little one. So you must listen carefully because…"_ Gaara switched to English. "It is you who are the chosen one. YOU who will take me to Ahm-Shere."

"What if I don't…?" Konohomaru replied defiantly. "What if I get a little…lost?"

The high priest chuckled. "You have strength, little one. You are your father's son. But I know something that you don't." Gaara knelt down before the boy, using his shadow powers to tilt the boy's neck. "This necklace is both a gift AND a curse. The sands of time…" he tilted an hourglass. "…have already begun to pour against you."

"Yeah, yeah, I already heard this part," the child scoffed." From the minute I put the necklace on, seven days do I have before the Desert King wakes up."

"Did you also hear that if you do not enter the pyramid before the sun strikes on that bery morning that the necklace will suck the life out of you?"

Konohomaru's already large eyes grew even wider. "THAT part I missed. Hey wait a minute…that means I've only got five days left!"

"Then I believe it will be best if we do not get lost…don't you?" the priest replied.

Konohomaru glared with all his might and hissed, "My dad is going to kick your ass!"

"Mmm.." Gaara took off his mask, making the boy yelp in horror at his gruesome face. "I don't think so."

"In here," Karin led the three into a dimly lit room. "You shall receive your just rewards."

"No tricks now, woman," Dosu warned, stepping into the chamber. "We're not givin up this chest 'till we're satisfied."

"Oh don't worry. There is MUCH satisfaction to he had."

Before they could say anything else, the woman slammed the door, locking it from the other side. A few moments later, all she could here were the screams of the three unfortunate treasure hunters as Gaara assimilated them.

Once the noises stopped, Karin stepped back into the room, grimacing as she stepped over the dried bodies. She gasped in shock when she beheld Gaara. He was fully regenerated…and just as handsome as he'd been in her previous vision. Gasping, the woman quickly bowed her head in respect. Gaara, however, merely smiled and raised her chin, leaning in for a kiss.

That afternoon, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto found themselves at a primitive, camel-filled air base.

"THIS is the magic carpet?" Sakura inquired as they stepped out of their car.

Sasuke nodded. "He'll be fine. He's a professional."

They approached a man with long blonde hair tied in a high pony tail, bangs that brushed to the side and covered his right side of his face. Sasuke grinned widely and exclaimed. "Deidara!"

As if he'd just seen a ghost, the man named "Deidara" yelped and dove behind the door he'd just come out of, locking it securely behind him.

The soldier's smile faded. "Hey!"

"He DEFINITELY remembers you," Sakura smirked.

"He's a little shy. Naruto, go get the bags."

Holding the Scepter of Gaara in his grasp, Naruto yawned saying," Oh, my hands are full…"

"NOW."

"Right, I'll go…get the bags."

"I'll deal with the flight arrangements," the ebony haired adventurer announced walking up to the door. He pulled out his pistol and shot the lock on the gate.

"Honey, you are NOT a subtle man," Sakura murmured.

Sasuke shrugged, kicking the door open. "We don't have time for subtle. Deidara, come here."

"Oh,no,no, yeah." Deidara mumbled, fleeing from his unwanted guest.

The pinkette glanced at her husband. "He doesn't look happy to see you."

"Never turned me down yet."

Backing away, Deidara said, hi voice thick with fear, "What ever it is…whatever you need…I don't care, yeah! Forget it Uchiha, yeah. Every time I hook up with you I get shot, yeah! Last time I got shot in the ass. I'm in mourning for my ass, yeah. Remember that bank job in Merrakesh?"

"Bank Job?" Sakura inquired.

Her husband grimaced. "Not like it sounds."

"Uh, it's EXACTLY how it sounds, yeah!" the pilot shot back. "I'm flying high, hiding in the sun, yeah. The dark haired cowboy here flags me down, yeah. So I fly in low for the pick up, yeah. The next thing you know, yeah. I get shot, yeah! I'm lying in the middle of the road with my spleen hanging out, yeah, and I see HIM waltzing up with some belly dancer girl, yeah."

The green eyed beauty arched a pink eyebrow. "Belly dancer girl? Deidara, I think you and I have a LOT to talk about."

"Just as long as I don't get shot, yeah."

"Quit your whining." Sasuke smirked casting a quick look of "that was a LONG time ago, please don't kill me" at his wife before continuing, "you're gonna get paid this time."

He pulled out a wad of bills and tossed them to his friend.

Deidara sighed, "Uchiha…yeah, have you looked around here? Huh? What do I need money for, yeah? What could I possibly spend it on, yeah?" in spite of this statement, he stuck the cash in his pocket.

"I'm gonna make this short," Sasuke muttered, waving Naruto's Scepter around as he spoke. "My little boy is out there. I'm gonna do WHATEVER it takes to get him back."

He noticed that Deidara's blue eyes were transfixed on the scepter and waved it about, causing the pilots gaze to follow.

"Uchiha…if you give me that gold stick there you can shave my head, wax my legs and us me as a surfboard, yeah."

Grinning, Sasuke tossed him the scepter and asked. "Didn't we do that in Tripoli? By the way…when did you lose your eye?"

"Oh, yeah," Deidara laughed lifting up his bangs to reveal a perfectly functional eye. "I didn't, yeah. I just thought it made me look more dashing, yeah."

The soldier gave a fake laugh and smacked him in the back of the head, saying, "Go on. Get to work…"

The pilot went up to Sakura and apologetically murmured, "You're not exactly catching me at my best, yeah…"

"Oh, I'm sure I am…" Sakura giggled.

The sound of horses whining told everyone that Neji had just arrived with an entire team of Majai.

"I knew it, yeah..." Deidara moaned. "I'm gonna get shot, yeah."

Approaching the group, Neji explained, "These are the commanders of the twelve tribes of the Majai. Takamaru!" **(A/N: Takamaru is one of the messenger hawks from the sand village in Naruto)**

A beautiful hawk flew forward and landed obediently on his arm.

"Ah, a pet bird," Naruto concluded.

The Majai leader smiled. "My best and most clever friend. He will let the commanders know of our progress so that they may follow." He turned around and shouted something to the other Majai. They returned the gesture, then rode off into the desert once again.

"If the Army of Anubis arises…" Neji continued solemnly. "…they will do all they can to stop it."

As they walked to the place where their ride was said to be parked, Sakura asked,

"Sasuke, are you SURE Deidara is reliable?"

He nodded, "Yeah, yeah, he's reliable…ish."

They rounded the corner…and beheld a ship that looked like a boat strapped to a giant balloon.

"Isn't she beautiful, yeah?" Deidara grinned.

"It's…it's a balloon!"

"It's a DIRIGIBLE, yeah."

"WHERE'S YOUR AIRPLANE?"

The pilot scoffed. "Airplanes are a thing of the past, yeah."

"Deidara, you were right," Sasuke scowled.

"I was, yeah?"

"Yeah," the soldier pulled out his gun. "You're gonna get shot."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, yeah!" the man yelped. "She's faster than she looks, yeah! And she's quiet, yeah! REAL quiet. Perfect for sneaking up on people which is a VERY good thing, yeah. Unless of course we go with your approach, yeah…"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"…barging in face-first, guns blazing, and getting you're friend shot in the ass, yeah!"

The soldier shrugged.

Remembering the insane bus ride, Neji groaned and muttered. "Why can't you people ever keep your feet on the ground?"

That evening, the group was floating against a star filled sky in the queer craft, enjoying the cool night air in contrast to the afternoon heat. Sitting with Naruto, Neji ventured to say,

"Uchiha does not want to believe…but he flies like Takamaru towards his destiny."

"Yes, yes, very interesting," the blonde yawned. "Tell me some more about this gold pyramid."

"Well, it is written that since the time of the Desert King, no man who has laid eyes upon it has ever returned to tell the tale."

Naruto's eyes widened. "where is all this stuff written?" Making sure that Deidara's attention was distracted, Naruto reached over and grabbed the scepter Sasuke had bought their flight with.

"Pretty nice, eh? This is all I have left in the world. The rest of my fortune was lost…to some rather unscrupulous characters actually."

Stroking Takamaru's soft feathers, Neji replied, "But if the curator reacted to it the way you say, it must be important. If I were you I would keep it close."

Naruto smiled, waving the golden stick about proudly. "My friend, the gods couldn't take this away from me."

"HEY!" Deidara's hand shot down and grabbed the scepter, starting a tug of war between the two men. Eventually, the pilot won and hissed, "That's MINE. Keep your hands off."

The blonde pouted and Neji gave a soft chuckle.

Sakura stood at the bow of the ship, brushing a few stray tears from her porcelain cheeks. She jumped slightly when she felt gentle arms wrap around her.

"Hey…" Sasuke smiled gently, rubbing her upper arms.

"I want him back, Sasuke," the pinkette whispered shakily. "I-I want him in my arms…"

"I know…" her husband pulled her closer. "We taught him well. He's smarter then you. He's WAY tougher than me…"

Sakura nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I-I love him s-so much, I just can't…"

"I know," Sasuke kissed the tears away. "We both do…and Konohomaru knows it…I'll get him back, Sakura…I promise."

"I know you will," the woman replied, smiling as he tenderly kissed her.

Konohomaru sat with Zabuza on a train bound for the pyramids of Giza, making a considerable effort to irritate the living daylights out of his captor.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

"Are we there-"

Zabuza whipped out his knife and brought it down…right in between Konohomaru's middle and index fingers. "Wow!" the boy gasped. "That was AMAZING! Perfect aim!"

"What do you mean?" the man growled, sheathing his blade. "I missed."

The child's eyes grew wide as Zabuza drummed his large fingers on the table. Eager for a chance to be of annoyance, Konohomaru imitated him until the man once again lifted his knife.

"I have to go to the bathroom," the boy announced before Zabuza could relieve him of one of his fingers.

Zabuza brought Konohomaru to the train's bathroom, shoving him in and snarling, "Make it quick."

Konohomaru grimaced, for it was not the cleanest facility he'd ever seen. He noticed a torn newspaper attached to the wall and exclaimed,

"Hey, look! Reading material!"

"NOW!"

"I can't go when someone's watching."

Rolling his eyes, the largely built man turned so that he was facing the door.

"I don't trust you," the boy pressed further. "You'll look."

Growling, Zabuza left the chamber, slamming the door behind him.

As soon as his captor was gone, Konohomaru set to work on searching for an escape route. He tried the shuttered window, but it was barred.

"Darn!"

The boy then flipped up the toilet lid…and found that there was a large hole leading to the tracks beneath the commode…one just large enough for a child to squeeze through.

Grinning, Konohomaru pulled the emergency stop lever, causing the train to come to a screeching halt.

Feeling the locomotive stop suddenly, Gaara pulled away from Karin and muttered, "The boy…"

As Konohomaru ran through the temple where the train had stopped, the cloaked men fired a barrage of bullets at him. Luckily, he was small enough and there were sufficient about of pillars to serve as cover. Seeing the men shooting at his guide to Ahm-Shere, the priest growled and used his shadow powers to send them flying into stone statues outside the temple.

Karin gave him a questioning look, and Gaara wrapped his arm around her waist, saying, "Karnak"

Konohomaru ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, racing into a temple until he reached a large pond. Looking around for his next route, the boy yelped when the Desert Necklace suddenly came to life, showing him visions of their next location. As the image cleared, Gaara walked across the water, using his powers to lift the boy into the air and shaking a scolding finger at him.

Back on the magic carpet, Neji balanced Takamaru on his arm while speaking to Sasuke.

"If a man does not embrace his past, he has no future."

Sasuke sighed. "Look, even if I was a prince in a previous life, what good does that do me now?"

"It is the missing piece of your heart. If you embrace it, if you accept it, you can do anything."

Wanting to change the subject, the soldier muttered, "Sounds great. Listen, what can we expect from out buddy Gaara?"

"His powers are returning," the Majai replied, his face turning grave. "By the time we make it to Ahm-Shere…even the Desert King…wont be able to stop him."

**A/N: Well there is Chapter 4. I think im getting this story updated fast. But let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Memories Restored

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I lost internet and had to get a new provider plus I had to go out of state cause my dad was in the hospital. So without further ado here is Chapter 5! Enjoy!**

Sakura gazed out over the bow of the ship, staring inot the beautiful starry sky. She gasped when an extrememly strange sensation came over her mind.

At the temple of Karnak, Gaara sat with Karin at a misty pond, saying, "_It is time to remind you of who you are…and of who we are together. For out love…is a true love, an eternal love, our souls mated together as one…forever."_

He waved a white hand over the pool and a vision played into the minds of Karin and Sakura. **(A/N: I decided to make this part into a flashback sort of deal**

**(Flashback)**

They were standing before the thrown of Pharaoh Fugaku, dressed in Egyptian clothing, golden masks and wielding twin sai. At a signal, the two women began to fight skillfully while many spectators watched them. Each was highly skilled…though it seemed that Karin had the advantage. She knocked the Sakura look alike to the ground, pausing at the announcement that she had won the first round.

_Removing her face guard, Egyptian Sakura glared at the other woman._

_Karin lifted her own covering and said, "Put your mask on! Let's not scar that pretty face."_

_Scowling, the young woman sprang to her feet and began to duel again. At one point, Karin managed to knock both miniature swords from her grasp and she somersaulted backwards, grabbing an axe from the wall. Adjusting to the change of weapons, Karin threw her daggers into two statues and grabbed a spear, springing into the next round._

_Among the viewers, Gaara tossed a quick smile to Fugaku as if to say, "I told you Karin is not to be trifled with."_

_The girls continued to battle until the Pharaoh's mistress knocked the axe from the green eyed beauty's hands. She tried to grab the other woman's spear…only to be thrown to the ground with the spear pointed at her throat._

_With the match over, Karin looked down at her opponent with a coy smile and muttered, "You are learning quickly…Sakura. I will have to watch my back."_

"_Yes," growled the girl named Sakura, not deceived by the woman's false friendliness. "And I shall watch mine."_

_The red haired woman gave a slight frown as the pinkette climbed to her feet._

"_Bravo, Bravo!" a young man, obviously the Prince, stepped forward. He was Sakura's age with milky white skin, deep coal black eyes, ebony hair spiked in the back. Despite being dressed in gold, and a red cape of royalty, he bore a haunting resemblance to…Sasuke._

_Smiling, he continued, "Who better to protect the Desert Necklace…" the Prince approached Sakura and wrapped an affectionate arm around her waist. "…Then my future beautiful wife, Sakura. And who better to protect my father, the Great Pharaoh Fugaku…" He smiled cordially at his fiancé's rival. "Then my father's future wife, Karin."_

_The woman bowed as applause was sounded throughout the chamber. Sasuke planted a gentle kiss on Sakura's lips before wrapping his arms around her, whispering. "Well done, my love…"_

"_Thank you…Sasuke," the girl beamed, settling into his embrace. She glanced over  
Sasuke's shoulder to see the high priest Gaara strolling casually past Karin. As he walked, the pinkette noticed a long forlorn look between them that she found…odd._

_Later that evening, Sakura stood on a balcony in the palace, daydreaming as she gazed absently into a chamber below. She saw Karin enter the room, followed…by Gaara. A few moments later, the princess gasped in shock and looked away…when the high priest and Pharaoh's mistress engaged in a long, passionate kiss. They abruptly separated when Fugaku's voice sounded throughout the chamber._

_Sakura watched the scene unfold, gasping when Gaara seized the Pharaoh's sword._

"_Majai!" she cried frantically. "The Pharaoh needs you!"_

_Unfortunately, it was too late, the two illegitimate lovers began to brutally slaying her fiancé's father_.

**(Flashback ends for Sakura)**

The Sakura from the past screamed and stepped forward…and so did the Sakura of the future, falling over the side of the magic carpet. Luckily, her husband grabbed her leg, while the other passengers grabbed onto him, and they successfully prevented anyone from plummeting to their deaths.

Though, the vision was over for Sakura, Karin was still living it.

**(Flashback for Karin)**

"Go! Save yourself!" She begged Gaara.

"_No!"_

"_Only you can resurrect me!"_

_The high priest struggled as his minions began dragging him to safety, saying, "I wont leave you! Get away from me! Karin!"_

_Once Gaara was out of sight, Karin raised a dagger, hissing, "My body is no longer his temple!" She drove the blade into herself._

**(Flashback ends for Karin)**

As soon as the knife made contact, Karin died. With the reincarnation no longer inhabiting that body, Gaara read from the Book of the Dead…and finally succeeded in resurrecting Karin.

Confused, Karin gazed at her surroundings and smiled when she saw her lover.

"_Gaara!"_

"Karin…"

Back on the flying ship, Sasuke had his arm firmly wrapped around his wife's shoulders, as if afraid she would jump again. "Sakura, I know you haven't exactly been yourself lately with all these dreams and visions-"

"No, no, they're memories," the pinkette corrected, "from my previous life. Honestly, I'm not losing my mind. It all makes perfect sense now."

The soldier cocked an eyebrow. "And that's why we found the necklace?"

"Exactly, I was it's protector."

"Now do you believe, my friend?" Neji smiled knowingly. "Clearly, you were destined to be with this woman."

"Right, she's the reincarnated 'Guardian of the Desert Necklace' and I'm a former Prince of Egypt." Sasuke smirked skeptically.

"And your son leads the way to Ahm-Shere, Three sides of a pyramid. This was all preordained thousands of years ago."

"And how does the story end?" Sakura asked.

Neji shook his head saying, "Only the journey is written, not the destination."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Convenient…"

"How else do you explain Sakura's visions? That it is YOUR son who wears the necklace? How do you explain your mark?"

"COINCIDENCE."

The Majai leader sighed, "My friend…there is a fine line between coincidence and fate."

Konohomaru tugged desperately at the chain attached to his ankle, striving to weaken it.

"Don't even THINK about it," Zabuza hissed as he entered the chamber. He strode forward, looking like he was about to hurt the boy…but Konohomaru was far smarter then he could ever hope to be.

"Hold on there partner," he grinned, pulling down his collar to reveal the Desert Necklace.

"When the time comes…" the muscled man growled, grabbing the child by his shirt, "I will TRULY enjoy killing you."

Konohomaru smirked. "But UNTIL that time…you had better be a LITTLE nicer to me. Now where's my water?"

With his eyebrows furrowing further than thought humanly possible, Zabuza shoved the canteen into the boys hands, storming off in a huff.

"What, no ice?"

The man glanced over his shoulder and swore in Arabic before continuing onward. With his captor out of sight, Konohomaru set to work pouring the liquid over the sand to make it solid enough to mold. It was time to send his parent's a message.

The next morning, the Uchiha party arrived at the site of the broken-down train at the temple of Karnak. Sasuke and Neji burst into the locomotive, guns at the ready…only to find that it was empty.

"They've gone…" Neji sighed. "We've lost them."

Sakura, meanwhile, strode through the temple, sadly searching for signs of her son. She gasped when she saw a scarf…the scarf her son always wore.

"SASUKE!" she cried.

Both men raced into the chamber, looking quite concerned as the pinkette explained, "Konohomaru left us his scarf…" she smiled when she saw his other clue. "And…he left us a sand castle. It's the Temple of Philae. They've gone to Philae."

"That-a-boy, Konohomaru," Sasuke grinned proudly.

Sure enough, the group followed Konohomaru's sandy directions, finding his goggles at the next site along with a sand formation of the Temple of Abu Simbel. Neji sent word via Takamaru to the other Majai…and unfortunately, Zabuza was beginning to grow suspicious of the hawk that appeared at every location.

Gliding over a rushing river, Sasuke announced, "That's the Blue Nile down there. We must be out of Egypt by now."

"In ancient times, all this still belonged to the upper kingdom…" Sakura murmured. "The oasis must be around here somewhere."

The soldier smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Sakura. We'll find him. He's a smart kid. He'll leave us a sign."

Unfortunately, Gaara was also smart…and he was waiting for the travelers down on the bank of the river.

Carving his parents next direction in the sand, Konohomaru yelped when a pair of large hands snatched him off the ground.

"Surprised to see me?" Zabuza snarled shaking the boy violently. "Leaving bread crumbs, huh?"

"_Zabuza!"_ Gaara called, wading waist deep into the water. "_Put the boy down."_ He then glanced at Konohomaru and sneered. "_I hope your parents enjoyed the journey."_ With that ominous statement, the high priest let out a supernatural roar and spread out his arms, causing the river to rise up into a wall of water. He sent it traveling downstream…towards the Magic Carpet.

Catching sight of the approaching wave, Deidara screamed, 'WE'RE IN TROUBLE, YEAH!"

The water formed into the likeness of Gaara's face…and smiled sinisterly.

"Takamaru, fly!" Neji commanded, releasing his bird.

"Deidara!" Sasuke shouted. "Go hard right! Starboard! Starboard!"

Deidara did as he was told and threw a lever, activating the rear thrusters of the ship. It blasted away from the face of water, it's passengers becoming completely soaked in te process but they escaped.

Drenched from head to toe, the pilot shakily got to his feet and muttered," Was there a little something you forgot to mention, yeah?"

Looking over the side of the ship, Naruto's brows furrowed. "Uh…people?"

Everyone looked…and gasped when they beheld a vast oasis below them.

"Ahm-Shere," Neji breathed.

Sasuke grabbed a telescope and peered through it, gasping when he saw the legendary pyramid of gold in the distance.

"Right…"

Their wonder was short lived…for the watery face of Gaara once again sprung out of the river.

"HE'S BACK, YEAH!" Deidara yelped. "HANG ON, YEAH!"

He activated the thrusters again, urging the ship onward. Unfortunately, right as they hovered over the jungle…the rocket boosters died.

"Well, THAT'S not good, yeah." The pilot announced, sinking down as the water hit the ship and sent it spiraling into the oasis below.

Confident that his foes were dead, Gaara waded out of the water onto the shore.

"Mom…?" Konohomaru whispered completely horrified, "Dad…?"

Gaara ruffled the boy's hair with mock affection and Konohomaru angrily swatted his hand away.

Unbeknownst to the enemy, the Uchiha party had survived the crash and was all in one piece, although the same could not be said for their ride.

Taking charge, Sasuke said, "We're gonna go out there and get my son. Then, we're gonna want to get out of here pretty fast, so make this thing work, Deidara."

"Clearly, you don't understand, yeah." The pilot snapped, waving smoke away from the engine. "This thing was filled with gas. Not hot air-gas, yeah. I need GAS to get this thing off the ground. Where am I gonna find gas around here, huh? Banannas? Tarzan's ass, yeah? Well, maybe I could finagle it to take hot air…but do you have any idea how many cubic meters I'd need? It's too big, yeah!"

Clapping his hot-headed friend on the shoulder, Sasuke replied, "If anybody can fill this thing up with hot air, Deidara…its you."

With the pilot distracted, Naruto took the chance to steal the Scepter of Gaara while Neji called his hawk to his arm. He attached a message to Takamaru's leg, sending him off again before following the others.

"So, Sasuke…" Naruto began. "What's the plan?"

"Let's find some higher ground," the soldier replied.

That…was when they heard the tell-tale gunshot.

"TAKAMARU!" Neji screamed, waiting anxiously for his pet hawk to return…but alas he did not.

Fighting back sorrow, he announced, "I must go."

"Where?"

"I must let the commanders know where we are."

"You cant go!"

"If the Army of Anubis arises-"

"I need you to help me find my little boy," Sasuke pleaded, desperation apparent in his onyx eyes.

The Majai gazed at him for a moment, his eyes softening. "Then…first I shall help you."

"Thank you…"

Later that night, Gaara's men made their way cautiously through the jungle, gasping as the light of their torches revealed countless skeletons in cages and skulls on spears.

Orochimaru pointed out the various groups that had attempted to locate the pyramid of gold years ago…and never lived to tell the tale.

Meanwhile, the heroes stood on a rocky outcropping, preparing their weapons for an assault.

"You hear that?" Sasuke asked gravely.

Neji shook his head. "What?"

"NOTHING. Absolutely nothing."

Naruto pulled aside a curtain of moss and gasped at what it revealed. "Whoa! Look at these shrunken heads! I'd love to know how they do that."

Everyone looked at him as if he'd announced he'd like to be mummified.

"What? I'm just curious…" he picked up a shotgun and examined it thoroughly.

"Are you any good with that?" Neji inquired.

The blonde ginned. "Three time Fox and Hounds grand champion, I'll have you know. You any good with that sword?"

"You'll know soon enough," He unsheathed his blade and pointed it at Naruto's throat. "Because the only way to kill an Anubis warrior is by taking off it's head."

"Right…" Naruto gulped. "I'll remember that."

Cocking his shot gun, Sasuke watched as his wife prepared hers.

"Sakura, just try to remember uh…just keep it tight in the shoulder and…uh lead the target a little bit and uh squeeze the trigger d-don't pull it…"

The pinkette nodded and placed a gentle hand on his chest, saying, "I won't miss."

Unable to resist the urge any longer, Sasuke took her face between his hands and kissed her fully and passionately as if it were the last time he would ever taste the sensation…before breaking away and running off. He vowed to himself that even if he didn't make it back…he would give Sakura her son back…and kill the God forsaken man who'd taken him away.

**A/N: Well that was Chapter 5. Again I am sorry for the delay. I had some family things to deal with. I hope you all enjoyed it!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Ahm-Shere

A/N: Well here is Chapter 6. I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 5. Well without further ado here is Chapter 6.

Gaara and his men made their way carefully through the oasis of Ahm-Shere, using torches as their only source of light. They came upon a break in vegetation…and gasped when they saw the golden pyramid, the gigantic diamond twinkling brightly at the top.

"Crud, I'm in trouble now…" Konohomaru muttered.

Zabuza grinned and glanced at the curator. "May I kill him now?"

Orochimaru signaled for him to wait and looked at Gaara.

"_My Lord…Now there is no more need for the boy."_

"_Yes, but we still need the necklace. It will unlock the Army of Anubis."_ Gaara replied.

Orochimaru gasped. "The necklace? The necklace is the key?" he glanced at his lackey." Retrieve that necklace."

"With pleasure."

As they walked, Gaara stopped suddenly, looking around with a concerned expression.

"_What is it?"_ Karin inguired.

In place of an answer, the wind began to howl…ominously…as if warning it's intruders to leave.

All the color drained from the curator's face as he murmured, "Something…is coming."

Sasuke and Neji ran through the oasis, thunder crashing above their heads and the vegetation around them rustling threateningly.

Drawing his scabbard, Zabuza shouted in Arabic, _"Fan out! Eyes open! Guns up!"_

From the rocky outcropping, Sakura cocked her gun and turned to look at her brother.

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"

Her face grew grave. "That's my husband and son down there…make me proud."

Naruto nodded resolutely and replied, "Today's that day, Sakura."

Gaara wrapped a protective arm around Karin's shoulders, saying, "_Do not fear. They cannot harm me."_ He then chuckled hearing Zabuza ranting about where Konohomaru was.

One of the men noticed a face in the bushes that looked like a shrunken head. Shakily clutching his pistol, he stepped closer and closer…until the creature came to life, shrieking shrilly at him.

All around, the men began disappearing into the bushes, taken by some unknown force. Though they were unable to see their attackers, the remaining men began shooting.

Hearing the gunshots, Sasuke shouted, "Let's Go!" before taking off towards the sound.

Finally, the force of the oasis made itself known…pygmy mummies shooting poison darts at the intruders.

Grabbing the Book of the Dead from one of his fallen lackeys, Gaara had only to hold out his hand and the creatures shrank away from him in terror.

Zabuza grinned when he finally saw Konohomaru.

"There you are…"

The child yelped and scrambled backwards.

"The time has come, my little friend."

Sasuke and Neji burst onto the scene, guns blazing at the enemy.

Still running from the murderous dark haired man, Konohomaru cried out,

"DAD!"

"KONOHOMARU!" Sasuke screamed, looking around frantically for his son.

He flinched as two men appeared on either side of him…only to be sniped by Sakura.

Konohomaru continued to run, crying out for his father until he found his way blocked by a tree.

"Time to remove that necklace, my good son," Zabuza grinned sickly.

"DAD!"

Out of nowhere, Sasuke appeared, threw his child over his shoulder and took off.

Stunned, Zabuza barely had time to recover before Neji locked swords with him.

"Dad! Behind you!" Konohomaru yelped as a pygmy mummy began chasing them. The soldier turned around, shot the creature, took out another one that appeared, and resumed running.

While Neji and Zabuza continued fighting, Several of the men began retreating, only to fall into quick sand. The mummies ran across them, using their heads as stepping stones to reach the other side.

Neji fought with all his strength…until he finally delivered the fatal strike. Zabuza fell to his knees, gave a slight smile of resignation…and fell over dead. The Majai leader smiled triumphantly…and gasped when he felt a gun barrel at his shoulder. He heard a gunshot…and the man threatening him fell to the ground, having been sniped by Naruto.

Sakura smiled. "Thank God for that…" She then headed off to find her husband and son.

Running with two other men, Orochimaru stopped suddenly and looked at them.

"The two of you must sacrifice yourselves for me." He took off through the bushes shouting, "You shall be rewarded in Heaven!"

The men looked at each other, then took off, not making it far before they were stabbed by the creatures.

Catching sight of Sakura, Sasuke gave his child a quick squeeze before placing him in his mother's awaiting arms.

The soldier glanced at Naruto and panted, "Hey…nice shootin Tex."

"What were those creepy little pygmy things?" the blonde exclaimed.

"Just the local natives."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It's nothing."

Pulling from his mother's vice like grip, Konohomaru cried,

"C'mon, Mom, C'mon Dad! We have to get to the pyramid! I have to get this necklace off now!"

Naruto chuckled. "Oh, leave it on, Konohomaru, it looks good on you."

"Now you guys!" the boy practically squeaked in desperation. "you don't understand! He told me the necklace will kill me if I don't get inside the pyramid before the sun hits it! Today!"

"Oh my God…" Sakura paled.

Suddenly, the jungle behind them began rustling and shrieking.

"Time to go!" Sasuke announced.

Glancing back at the creatures, Naruto yelped. "I thought you said it was nothing!"

As they ran, the blonde got separated from his family, meeting up with one of Gaara's men. **(A/N: This man is Haku. I didn't mention him with the other characters because he doesn't have a major role.)** They ran until they reached what looked like a graveyard.

"Look!" Naruto cried. "There's a burial ground! We're safe! See those sacred stones? They'll never cross those!"

"You are sure?" Haku asked.

"Of course I'm sure!"

Suddenly one of the pygmies leaped at the blonde, making him scream and duck. It landed on the other man, driving his spear into his chest. The creature then looked at Naruto and he screamed in complete terror. Likewise, the pygmy screamed, taking off fearfully into the trees. Naruto looked at the doomed man and said, "Sorry! My mistake!" before taking off again.

He finally caught up with the others running across a log over a cliff.

"Wait for me! What's that for?" he asked as Sasuke lit a piece of dynamite.

"Ah nothing. Just a little something in case of an emergency."

He threw the explosive to the creature's who began to fight over the shiny stick…until it exploded and sent them all plummeting off the cliff.

"Sasuke…" Sakura breathed, staring up at the sky.

Said former prince looked up and gasped in horror when he caught sight of the sun's faint glow.

"Let's go, Konohomaru!" he grabbed the boy's hand and took off towards the pyramid. "Run! Come on, Konohomaru, faster!"

"Dad!" Konohomaru sobbed, fear evident in his onyx eyes as a sudden weakness came over his tiny body. "The necklace…"

Sasuke picked Konohomaru up and ran with all his strength toward the pyramid. They were only a few yards away…but the sun was only a few feet behind them. The light almost touching the back of his neck, Sasuke leaped the few remaining feet…and made it into the temple.

Father and son collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily in exhaustion and relief.

'You know…" Sasuke panted. "It's not easy…being a…dad."

Konohomaru smiled. "Yeah…but you do it really good."

"Thanks…"

The necklace unlatched from Konohomaru's neck and he threw it as far away as he could. Finally rid of the cursed thing, the child fell backwards and Sasuke hugged him tightly in his arms stroking his hair before collapsing again.

Reaching the courtyard with her brother, Sakura gave a sigh of relief.

"They made it…thank God…"

Naruto seemed to be more interested in the pyramid of gold as he said, "Yes…great…wonderful."

Sakura turned and caught a brief glimpse of Karin walking towards her…before the red haired woman drove a dagger into her stomach.

"NO!" Sasuke screamed, racing out of the pyramid to his wife.

Staring at the pinkette coldly, Karin ripped the dagger out before grabbing the Book of the Dead and rejoining Gaara, giving Konohomaru a condescending wave as she went.

Bending down by his injured wife, the soldier frantically yelled, "Naruto! You're gonna be alright, Sakura…"

"Isn't she dad?" Konohomaru whimpered. "She's gonna be okay…?"

Fighting back hysteria Sasuke choked, "Take him, Naruto…Mommy's gonna be fine…" he lifted the woman's bloody hand from her wound, nearly vomiting at the sight of it. "Oh my God…You're real strong, you're gonna make it…you're gonna make it…you're fine…"

Sakura stared up at him, pain evident in her ever-dimming jade eyes.

"What do I do?" tears dripped from the ebony haired adventurer's onyx eyes, "What do I do Sakura?"

Taking a shaky breath, the pinkette whispered, "T…take care…of…Konohomaru…"

"No…" Sasuke choked back sobs as he traced her delicate face with his gentle fingers. "Sweetheart, no…"

"I love you…" Sakura's voice was barely audible, her eyes slowly closing.

"No, don't-No…Sakura? Sakura? NO!"

Naruto pulled his crying nephew into his arms, tears stinging his own blue eyes.

"Come back, Sakura…Come back…" tears streaming down his face, the woman's husband ran his fingers over her lips…once warm and soft…now cold and stiff.

Sasuke lifted Sakura into his arms and buried his face in her neck, sobbing bitterly as his heart abruptly broke in two.

Inside the pyramid, Orochimaru found the Desert Necklace buried in the sand, snatching it and proceeding deeper into the catacombs. Gaara and Karin were already inside, walking down a staircase towards a platform. As soon as Gaara stepped between two jackal statues…a sudden blackness surrounded his body, jerking him about violently. When the unknown force retreated, the high priest frantically looked about and attempted to lift objects with his shadow magic. He only managed to make them rattle a bit.

"_The Great God Anubis…"_ He gasped. _"…has taken my powers." _ He turned to Karin. _"It seems he wishes me to fight…as a mortal."_

Sasuke cradled his son in his arms, rubbing circles on the boy's back as his sobs died down to mere sniffles. Gently pulling back to hold Konohomaru's shoulders, Sasuke murmured,

"Stay here."

He cast one more broken-hearted look down at his wife before proceeding into the temple.

Orochimaru gasped as he entered a dark room. It was filled with ravenous scarabs…however they parted from him like water because of the necklace he wore. Walking up to a queer shrine, Orochimaru caught sight of a hole in the shrine. He hesitantly took off the necklace and placed his hand with the necklace in the hole. No sooner had he done that then the entire chamber lit up. As did the tunnel Sasuke was walking through.

The shadow of a spider passed over the pyramid and stretched out towards the Army of Majai that had just arrived at the desert.

"_So…"_ Neji murmured. _"It begins…"_

Back in the pyramid courtyard, Naruto sat beside Konohomaru who was sniffling softly into his arms.

"Think of it this way, Konohomaru…" Naruto murmured, leaning his head against his nephew's shoulder. "She's gone to a better place. Just like the good book-"

"The Book!" Konohomaru exclaimed, leaping to his feet and grabbing his uncle's hand. "That's it! C'mon Uncle Naruto, C'mon!"

Sasuke walked into the torch lit chamber as Orochimaru stood there with his hand in the shrine.

"You're…too late Uchiha…I have already released the Army of Anubis. Lord Gaara shall soon kill the Desert King and take command."

Taking a curved axe from the wall, Sasuke replied with hatred in his onyx eyes, "Not after I get through with him."

His already deep voice was even lower and had a dark gruffness to it that could only be described as harboring the deepest loathing for someone.

Suddenly, Orochimaru let out an agonized howl as his arm was pulled through the hold. The soldier looked at hi with confusion, cringing when the man pulled his arm out and seen his hand was nothing but bone.

Gaara and Karin headed towards the final chamber, bound for the confrontation. Throwing off his black cloak, Gaara said,

"_I must face the Desert King alone."_

"_No, you must not!"_ the woman cried. _"Without your powers, he will kill you!"_

"_Nothing can stop us! It's our destiny!"_ the high priest picked up the Book of the Dead.

Karin took it away and placed her hands on either side of his face, speaking with her lips only inches away from his.

"I don't want to lose you again…"

Placing his hands on her hips, Gaara crushed his mouth against hers in a rough, seering kiss…then took off down the corridor

"_No…"_ Karin cried, reaching her hand out for him. _"NO!"_

Carrying his deceased sister in his arms, Naruto followed Konohomaru through a torch lit corridor inside the pyramid, saying,

"You do realize of course, that this can only be done by someone who can read ancient Egyptian. I don't know about you, but I'm a tad bit rusty. Now where…?"

Konohomaru approached a fork in the road and read the hieroglyphics on the wall.

"We go right."

"How do you know?"

Gesturing to the ancient writing, the boy replied, "_Kashkessh Osirian Nye._ Basically, 'This way to the Desert King'", with a rather sad expression, he added, "Mom taught me…"

Watching his brilliant young nephew proceed down the corridor, Naruto murmured to himself, "…This just might work…"

He was right. If anyone could bring Sakura back to life…it was her son, Konohomaru Uchiha.

**A/N: Well that was Chapter 6. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! Only one more Chapter to go and then I will start on the 3****rd**** one.**


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